What is this disturbing magazine cover I remember from childhood?
October 16, 2023 11:43 AM Subscribe
[CW: The image I'm asking about here depicts violence, possibly in the context of war, though it was judged fit for printing by a mainstream magazine.] Can anyone help me figure out what magazine cover I saw in the 1980s depicting two men in a physical altercation?
I have a distinct memory of seeing a mainstream magazine cover that depicts two adult men in some kind of altercation. At least one man bleeding all over his body. One man holding an improvised weapon of some kind, which I would describe as a long thin piece of metal almost like a car's motor oil dipstick. My sense was that it had to do with some kind of war.
--I believe I saw this multiple times in multiple places over a short period of time, probably sometime between 1987 and 1991.
--I have wondered whether it had something to do with political violence in Lebanon and/or the First Intifada.
--I saw it in lobbies, like at a dentist's office, an electronics repair place, that kind of thing.
--I associate the image with something that happened in the Middle East, but I may be wrong. I am almost certain it has nothing to do with the the Persian Gulf War.
--I'm thinking it must have been Time, Life, or some similar magazine.
I have wondered about the story behind this image for my entire adult life, I would love to finally be able to identify the magazine and issue. Thank you.
I have a distinct memory of seeing a mainstream magazine cover that depicts two adult men in some kind of altercation. At least one man bleeding all over his body. One man holding an improvised weapon of some kind, which I would describe as a long thin piece of metal almost like a car's motor oil dipstick. My sense was that it had to do with some kind of war.
--I believe I saw this multiple times in multiple places over a short period of time, probably sometime between 1987 and 1991.
--I have wondered whether it had something to do with political violence in Lebanon and/or the First Intifada.
--I saw it in lobbies, like at a dentist's office, an electronics repair place, that kind of thing.
--I associate the image with something that happened in the Middle East, but I may be wrong. I am almost certain it has nothing to do with the the Persian Gulf War.
--I'm thinking it must have been Time, Life, or some similar magazine.
I have wondered about the story behind this image for my entire adult life, I would love to finally be able to identify the magazine and issue. Thank you.
Best answer: If it is the one @theBigRedKittyPurrs linked to, you can read the cover story here.
If it is not that one, you can browse Time covers by year here.
posted by OrangeDisk at 12:08 PM on October 16, 2023
If it is not that one, you can browse Time covers by year here.
posted by OrangeDisk at 12:08 PM on October 16, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you. I really appreciate this!
posted by kensington314 at 12:22 PM on October 16, 2023
posted by kensington314 at 12:22 PM on October 16, 2023
In case of future link rot, it's a photo of Guillermo Ford during the aftermath of the 1989 Panamanian general election:
After a rally in support of Endara and Ford, members of the Dignity Battalions, armed with guns, pipes, and wooden planks, attacked Ford and his entourage. A photo of the attack on Ford by a member of the Dignity Battalions appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Newsweek, and U.S. News. The iconic photo by Ron Haviv (of AFP), of Ford in his white guayabera shirt splattered bright red with blood became one of the most famous images of 1989.posted by zamboni at 12:27 PM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]
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posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 12:04 PM on October 16, 2023 [4 favorites]